Eating Like a Local in the Azores

Although the Azores are a proud part of Portugal, their cuisine and style of eating remains worlds apart from the mainland and is an experience in itself for travelers looking for local dishes made from fresh ingredients and time-tested recipes.

Local dishes range from appetizers of thick-sliced pineapple dusted in cinnamon or homemade black sausage (blood sausage) to main courses of entre costo (fall-off-the-bone tender pork ribs) and delicately fried, fresh-caught mackerel. Here are a few tips for eating like a local in the Azores.

Venture out

Some of the best dishes on the island can be found in dive bars and hole-in-the-wall haunts. Try Restaurante Lagoa Azul in Sete Cidades for a buffet of Azorean dishes or hang out with the locals at the bar inside Sardinha (a.k.a. Mané Cigano) where they only serve fish caught that day.

Dig for your dinner

The most authentic meal for Azoreans truly comes from the land. Cozido das furnas is a stew of sorts — containing layers of chicken, blood sausage, pork, beef and vegetables — slowly cooked in a large pot buried and heated by the volcanic caldeiras in the ground. Try the cozido at Caldeiras & Vulcões Restaurant for a truly traditional experience.

Try the wine

Although even some Azoreans may tell you to steer clear of the reds from the Azores, the wines are exceptionally good on San Miguel and some of the best varieties of red wine come from the island of Pico. Try Terras de Lava 2011 or the Curral Atlântis Reserve 2007 for a great taste of the islands.

Eat like a local

You may be tempted to peel the meat from the bones of the delicately fried mackerel at any of the local joints along the Azores, but that’s the first giveaway you’re not from those parts. Locals eat fried mackerel like French fries, taking the small fish by the tail and eating it whole … bones and all.